Obama to Israel: How About Holding Off on Iran Until After the Election

According to the British Sunday Times, sources have said President Obama asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on bombing Iran's nuclear facilities until after the November 2012 election.

Israel will only strike Iranian nuclear facilities in September or after the United States presidential elections in November, a White House official told the British Sunday Times newspaper after a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama last week.

According to the report, Obama has taken Israel's warnings about a possible strike in Iran very seriously. The Washington source added that the president “might visit in the summer to reassure the Israelis that the US commitment to defend Israel is unshakable and thus thwart a possible autumn attack.”

Obama insisted that any attack on Iran should be postponed until after the US presidential elections in November, possibly even until next spring. The source revealed that Netanyahu consented to delaying a strike, but wished to know until when. “The question is how much time,” he reportedly said.

Interestingly, Palestinian officials are saying the same thing regarding Obama's stance on the statehood issue.

Palestinian officials allege that the Obama administration told them not to expect anything big this year, and to be patient as President Barack Obama’s reelection is a prime concern.

This allegation came after United States officials stated on Saturday that the Obama Administration is “deeply concerned over the renewal of violence in southern Israel” as terrorists in the Gaza Strip continue to launch rockets into Israel.